- The organizer behind the rally that preceded the siege of the Capitol said three GOP congressman, Reps. Andy Biggs, Mo Brooks, and Paul Gosar helped him plan last week’s event.
- Biggs and Brooks denied helping Ali Alexander, and a spokesperson for Gosar declined a request for comment.
- “We four schemed up of putting maximum pressure on Congress while they were voting,” Alexander said.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Ali Alexander, the organizer behind the “Stop the Steal” movement, said three Republican congressmen helped him plan the January 6 rally that preceded the armed insurrection at the Capitol that left five dead.
Alexander said Reps. Andy Biggs, Mo Brooks, and Paul Gosar helped him plan the event that occurred as Congress was getting ready to certify the electoral vote for President-elect Joe Biden, The Washington Post reported.
“We four schemed up of putting maximum pressure on Congress while they were voting,” Alexander said in a since-deleted Periscope video.
He added to The Post that the plan was to “change the hearts and the minds of Republicans who were in that body, hearing our loud roar from outside.”
A spokeswoman for Gosar told Insider: “The Congressman has no comment at this time.”
Daniel Stefanski, spokesperson for Rep. Andy Biggs told Insider that Alexander’s claims were “absolutely false.”
“Congressman Biggs is not aware of hearing of or meeting Mr. Alexander at any point – let alone working with him to organize some part of a planned protest on January 6. He did not have any contact with protesters or rioters, nor did he ever encourage or foster the rally or protests on January 6,” Stefanski said.
Insider could not reach Brooks for comment at the time of publication, but in an official statement from his office said he did not know that the siege on the Capitol would occur after he spoke at a rally preceding it.
“Further, I spoke very early in the political rally. There was music, there was my speech, there was more music, then there was some number of speakers, then a couple hours or so later, President Trump began speaking,” Brooks said.
“I ask this question, if my remarks were as inspirational as the Socialist Democrats and their Fake News Media allies want the public to believe, why didn’t the Trump rally participants, after my remarks, immediately get up and storm the Capitol?” the statement said.
On January 6, Trump supporters breached the US Capitol and clashed with law enforcement halting the joint session of Congress as lawmakers were debating challenges to electoral votes ahead of certifying Biden’s election. Five people died, including a Capitol Police officer and a woman who was shot by law enforcement.
One week later, The House of Representatives impeached President Donald Trump for “incitement of insurrection,” for his role in the armed insurrection.
Trump had previously made false and baseless accusations of voter fraud and made false assertions that Vice President Mike Pence, who oversaw the certification process in the joint session of Congress, could “decertify” the votes and give him a second term.
Other Republicans, including Biggs, Brooks, and Gosar, have also come under scrutiny for their language in perpetuating Trump’s false narrative.
The Daily Beast reported that Alexander, a felon who grew in popularity for backing and supporting Trump’s voter fraud claims, has since been banned from Twitter, had on several occasions last month suggested that they may resort to violence on January 6, if the votes were certified.
“We’re going to convince them to not certify the vote on January 6 by marching hundreds of thousands, if not millions of patriots, to sit their butts in DC and close that city down, right?” Alexander said during a rally in Arizona. “And if we have to explore options after that…’yet.’ Yet!”
Alexander participated in a rally the night before the certification vote and led a chant of, “Victory or death!”
Gosar tagged Alexander in several Twitter posts the next morning, which called for Biden to concede the election (which he won by 7 million votes).
Gosar and Alexander both also spoke at a December 19 event, The Post reported. Following that event, Gosar called Alexander a “true patriot.” Additionally, a video message from Biggs was played at the same event where he said he and Brooks would challenge the certification on January 6.
Alexander called Biggs a “friend” and “hero.” Biggs told CNN that he only appeared on the video after a request from Gosar’s staff.
Alexander told The Post that he remained peaceful during the event and that his speeches had mentioned peace but were being misrepresented.
However, in a video he posted following the siege he said: “I don’t disavow this. I do not denounce this.”
Azmi Haroun contributed to this report.
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